Well, it has finally happened. I am now a quasi fan of a Northern California team of some sort...in this case, the 49ers. The company tickets were available for the Sunday after Thanksgiving game, so we thought a rendezvous with Eric and Chelsea (who were in the Bay area for Thanksgiving) would be fun--plus we would then get to see them! That was a very long sentence to say that we met up with them for the game. This was my first NFL game and first time at Candlestick Park. We got there early enough to see the professional tail-gaters and observe the pre-game rituals of the parking lot. Quite enlightening and mostly just rabid fans! We can actually say we "tail-gated" too because Chelsea's friends came with a BBQ and lots of yummy food. It was a beautiful day and the seats were great. It also happened to be a game where they were honoring Hometown Heroes of all kinds: military, fire, police, and even Capt. "Sully" (the pilot of the plane that landed in the Hudson River) was there. Several Marine recruits took their oath on the 50 yard line in front of the entire crowd before the game started, and after the National Anthem, there was a "Fly-Over" -it was really cool. We had a great time watching the game and visiting with Eric and Chelsea. And, best of all, the 49ers WON!
Things I learned at the game:
1.)NFL stadiums may be the only places in the world where women have to wait for men when taking a bathroom break. (This is significant, coming from a family of girls...) At NFL games, there are l-o-n-g lines for the Men's Room--never had experienced
that before. No, I wasn't in line for the Men's Room, but the lines ran out their door and down the hallway about 30 guys long, hard to miss. Mass quantities of beer---need I say more.
2.) Fans yelling "Pass" to assist the Defense really think they're helping the Defense. (perhaps this is related to #1)
3.) I'm not Fan enough yet to "high-five" with a stranger when the 49ers score.
4.) Why tickets to a 49ers game were available Thanksgiving weekend: end of 4-day holiday weekend, Bay Bridge, cars, cars, cars, moving inch by inch.....(tail-gating of a different sort). But we had a wonderfully fun day and when we decided to abandon I-80 and take the San Mateo Bridge route we knew we would get home before next Thanksgiving!
